Traffic Engineering

1. Lecture 1:
Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering

2. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
2
1.1 General
The Institute of Transportation Engineers defines traffic engineering as a subset of transportation
engineering as follows:
Transportation engineering is the application of technology and scientific principles to the
planning, functional design, operation, and management of facilities for any mode of
transportation in order to provide for the safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical,
and environmentally compatible movement of people and goods.

3. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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and
Traffic engineering is that phase of transportation engineering which deals with the planning,
geometric design and traffic operations of roads, streets, and highways, their networks, terminals,
abutting lands, and relationships with other modes of transportation.

4. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.2 Objectives of traffic engineering
The principal goal of the traffic engineer remains the provision of a safe system for highway traffic. This is no
small concern
•In recent years, fatalities on U.S. highways have ranged between 40,000 and 43,000 per year
•in the 1970s, highway fatalities reached more than 55,000 per year
•Rising fuel prices in 2008 and 2009 have had an impact on both fatalities and vehicle-miles travelled

5. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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Today's vehicles feature padded
dashboards, collapsible steering columns,
seat belts with shoulder harnesses, air
bags (some vehicles now have as many as
eight), and antilock braking systems.

6. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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Today's vehicles feature padded
dashboards, collapsible steering columns,
seat belts with shoulder harnesses, air
bags (some vehicles now have as many as
eight), and antilock braking systems.

7. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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Today's vehicles feature padded
dashboards, collapsible steering columns,
seat belts with shoulder harnesses, air
bags (some vehicles now have as many as
eight), and antilock braking systems.

8. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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Today's vehicles feature padded
dashboards, collapsible steering columns,
seat belts with shoulder harnesses, air
bags (some vehicles now have as many as
eight), and antilock braking systems.

9. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
9
Today's vehicles feature padded
dashboards, collapsible steering columns,
seat belts with shoulder harnesses, air
bags (some vehicles now have as many as
eight), and antilock braking systems (ABS).

10. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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Highway design has improved through the development and use of advanced barrier systems for
medians and roadside areas. Traffic control systems communicate better and faster, and surveillance
systems can alert authorities to accidents and breakdowns in the system.

11. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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According to the latest WHO data published in 2018
 About 1.35 million people die each year as a result of road
traffic crashes.
 90% of the world's fatalities on the roads occur in low- and
middle-income countries, even though these countries have
approximately 54% of the world's vehicles.
 Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross
domestic product
 Road Traffic Accidents Deaths in United States reached 33,838
or 1.55% of total deaths.
 At the same time, Road Traffic Accidents Deaths in Iraq
reached 9,887 or 6.68% of total deaths.

12. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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The definitions of transportation and traffic engineering highlight additional objectives:
• Speed
• Comfort
• Convenience
• Economy
• Environmental compatibility
Most of these are self-evident desires of the
traveller. Most of us want our trips to be fast,
comfortable, convenient, cheap, and in harmony
with the environment. All of these objectives are
also relative and must be balanced against each
other and against the primary objective of safety.
The traffic engineer is tasked with all of these goals and objectives and with making the appropriate trade-
offs to optimize both the transportation systems and the use of public funds to build, maintain, and
operate them.

13. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.3 Responsibility, Ethics, and Liability in Traffic Engineering
The traffic engineer has a very special relationship with the public at large. Perhaps more than any other
type of engineer, the traffic engineer deals with the daily safety of a large segment of the public. Although it
can be argued that any engineer who designs a product has this responsibility, few engineers have so many
people using their product so routinely and frequently and depending on it so totally. Therefore, the traffic
engineer also has a special obligation to employ the available knowledge and state of the art within existing
resources to enhance public safety.

14. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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Experience has shown that the greatest risk
to a project is an incomplete analysis. Major
projects have been upset because an impact
was overlooked or analysis oversimplified.

15. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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The traffic engineer also has a responsibility to protect the community from liability by good
practice. Agencies charged with traffic and transportation responsibilities can be held liable
in many areas. These include (but are not limited to) the following:
•Placing control devices that do not conform to applicable standards for their physical design and
placement.
•Failure to maintain devices in a manner that ensures their-effectiveness; the worst case of this is a
"dark" traffic signal in which no indication is given due to bulb or other device failure.
•Failure to apply the most current standards and guidelines in making decisions on traffic control,
developing a facility plan or design, or conducting an investigation.
•Implementing traffic regulations (and placing appropriate devices) without the proper legal authority
to do so.

16. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.4 Transportation Systems and Their Function
Transportation systems are a major component of the world economy and have an enormous impact on
the shape of the society and the efficiency of the economy in general.

17. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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18. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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Transportation demand is directly related
to land-use patterns and to available
transportation systems and facilities.
Figure 1.2 illustrates the fundamental
relationship, which is circular and ongoing.
Transportation demand is generated by
the types, amounts, and intensity of land
use, as well as its location. The daily
journey to work, for example, is dictated
by the locations of the worker's residence
and employer and the times that the
worker is on duty

19. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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In many major cities, this has led to
•The search for more efficient transportation systems,
such as public transit and car-pooling programs.
•Other approaches include staggered work hours and
workdays to reduce peak hour demands, and
•Even more radical approaches- involve development of
satellite centres outside of the central business district
(CBD) to spatially disperse highly directional demands
into and out of city centres.

20. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
20
In many major cities, this has led to
•The search for more efficient transportation systems,
such as public transit and car-pooling programs.
•Other approaches include staggered work hours and
workdays to reduce peak hour demands, and
•Even more radical approaches- involve development of
satellite centres outside of the central business district
(CBD) to spatially disperse highly directional demands
into and out of city centres.

21. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
21
In many major cities, this has led to
•The search for more efficient transportation systems,
such as public transit and car-pooling programs.
•Other approaches include staggered work hours and
workdays to reduce peak hour demands, and
•Even more radical approaches- involve development of
satellite centres outside of the central business district
(CBD) to spatially disperse highly directional demands
into and out of city centres.

22. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.4 Concepts of Mobility and Accessibility
Transportation systems provide the nation's population with both mobility and accessibility. The two
concepts are strongly interrelated but have distinctly different elements.
Mobility
•Mobility refers to the ability to travel to many different destinations with
relative ease
•Mobility gives travellers a wide range of choices as to where to go to
satisfy particular needs, and it provides for efficient trips to get to them
•Mobility provides the traveller with many choices for all kinds of trip
purposes, including recreational trips, medical trips, educational trips, and
even the commute to work
•Mobility provides access to many-travel opportunities, and it provides
relative speed and convenience for the required trips.

23. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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Accessibility
•Accessibility refers to the ability to gain
entry to a particular site or area.
•Accessibility is a major factor in the value
of land. When land can be accessed by
many travellers from many potential
origins, it is more desirable for
development and, therefore, more
valuable. Thus proximity of land to major
highways and public transportation
facilities is a major factor determining its
value.

24. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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Most transportation systems are structured to separate
mobility and access functions because the two functions
often compete and are not necessarily compatible. In
highway systems, mobility is provided by high-type
facilities, such as freeways, expressways, and primary
and secondary arterials. Accessibility is generally
provided by local street networks. Except for limited-
access facilities, which serve only through vehicles
(mobility), most other classes of highway serve both
functions to some degree.
A good transportation system must provide for both mobility arid accessibility and should be designed
to separate the functions to the extent possible to ensure both safety and efficiency.

25. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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The most common unit used by the traffic engineer is "vehicles." Highway systems are planned, designed,
and operated to move vehicles safely and efficiently from place to place. Yet the movement of vehicles is
not the objective; the goal is the movement of the people and goods that occupy vehicles. Modem traffic
engineering now focuses more on people and goods.

26. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.5 Transportation Modes

27. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.5 Transportation Modes

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Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.5 Transportation Modes

29. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.5 Transportation Modes

30. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.5 Transportation Modes

31. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.5 Transportation Modes

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Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.5 Transportation Modes

33. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.5 Transportation Modes

34. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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35. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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36. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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37. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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38. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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39. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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40. Activity 2:
suggest
transportation
mode for
kerbala (4
groups)

41. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.6 Elements of Traffic Engineering
There are a number of key elements of traffic engineering:
1. Traffic studies and characteristics
2. Performance evaluation
3. Facility design
4. Traffic control
5. Traffic operations
6. Transportation systems management
7. Integration of intelligent transportation system technologies.

42. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
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1.7 Modern Problems for the Traffic Engineer
We live in a complex and rapidly developing world. Consequently, the
problems that traffic engineers are involved in evolve rapidly.
•Urban congestion has been a major issue for many years.
•Growth management is a major current issue. A number of states have
legislation that ties development permits to level-of-service impacts on
the highway and transportation system.
•Reconstruction of existing highway facilities also causes unique
problems.
•Since 2001, the issue of security of transportation facilities has come to
the fore.
•Fluctuation in fuel prices, traffic demand may be very much dependent
on the state of the general economy

43. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
43
1.7 Modern Problems for the Traffic Engineer
We live in a complex and rapidly developing world. Consequently, the
problems that traffic engineers are involved in evolve rapidly.
•Urban congestion has been a major issue for many years.
•Growth management is a major current issue. A number of states have
legislation that ties development permits to level-of-service impacts on
the highway and transportation system.
•Reconstruction of existing highway facilities also causes unique
problems.
•Since 2001, the issue of security of transportation facilities has come to
the fore.
•Fluctuation in fuel prices, traffic demand may be very much dependent
on the state of the general economy

44. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
44
1.7 Modern Problems for the Traffic Engineer
We live in a complex and rapidly developing world. Consequently, the
problems that traffic engineers are involved in evolve rapidly.
•Urban congestion has been a major issue for many years.
•Growth management is a major current issue. A number of states have
legislation that ties development permits to level-of-service impacts on
the highway and transportation system.
•Reconstruction of existing highway facilities also causes unique
problems.
•Since 2001, the issue of security of transportation facilities has come to
the fore.
•Fluctuation in fuel prices, traffic demand may be very much dependent
on the state of the general economy

45. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
45
1.7 Modern Problems for the Traffic Engineer
We live in a complex and rapidly developing world. Consequently, the
problems that traffic engineers are involved in evolve rapidly.
•Urban congestion has been a major issue for many years.
•Growth management is a major current issue. A number of states have
legislation that ties development permits to level-of-service impacts on
the highway and transportation system.
•Reconstruction of existing highway facilities also causes unique
problems.
•Since 2001, the issue of security of transportation facilities has come to
the fore.
•Fluctuation in fuel prices, traffic demand may be very much dependent
on the state of the general economy

46. Lecture 1: Introduction to Traffic Engineering
Department of Civil
Engineering
46
1.7 Modern Problems for the Traffic Engineer
We live in a complex and rapidly developing world. Consequently, the
problems that traffic engineers are involved in evolve rapidly.
•Urban congestion has been a major issue for many years.
•Growth management is a major current issue. A number of states have
legislation that ties development permits to level-of-service impacts on
the highway and transportation system.
•Reconstruction of existing highway facilities also causes unique
problems.
•Since 2001, the issue of security of transportation facilities has come to
the fore.
•Fluctuation in fuel prices, traffic demand may be very much dependent
on the state of the general economy

47. • Activity 3: what are the modern traffic problem of karbala, arrange
them according to their importance?